How They Help Us

Although not particularly relevant anymore in a global culture, viruses were once conceived to be used as a form of war-time weapon against enemy forces. The purpose (behind biological weapons) was to eradicate life completely using a minimal amount of energy and tact. Biological weapons were outlawed globally under the Geneva Convention, having been deemed cruel and unusual, even for war purposes.

Today, viruses help us out in the lab as we try to learn any and all forms of natural knowledge. The virus is capable of assisting us in the field research and exploration of cellular biology, by allowing us 'secret' access into the inner workings of the cellular structure itself. Scientists can 'inject' viral compounds into cellular growths in order to alter and manipulate their standard or normal functions.

Viruses are also used in the field of nanotechnology, as their 'invasive' capabilities make them particularly useful towards the practice of entering cellular compounds using the 'least' invasive means possible. The 'tools' a virus might use to gain access to a cell without permission are often copied and redeveloped in order to provide nano-bots with the appropriate means to carry on their helpful and productive work within the cellular boundaries of a multicellular organism.

Just recently, a special plant-infecting virus has been established which may prove useful in the aspect of pest control for farm crops. The virus, when inserted into the plant DNA, terminates pest life, acting as a kind of viral bug spray.